


Romance

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [12]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, M/M, These Poor Broken Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 05:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14994140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: "I'm kind of trying to think of something romantic to do for the love of my life," he said finally. "I've heard you're supposed to ask your best friend for advice about that sort of thing. Since you're both, you're kind of stuck."Danny worries he isn't romancing Steve enough.





	Romance

**Author's Note:**

> Another pre-engagement fic.

Grace was at her mother's for the week, so tonight it was just the two of them on the couch. There were no cases open at work, a pretty good documentary about Winston Churchill was on TV, and – most importantly – Danny was leaning against him with his head on his shoulder. Steve's arm was up along the back of the couch, hand curved back around so his fingers could tease through Danny's hair. He'd been doing it long enough by this point that Danny's hair was mess, the mousse he'd put in it this morning nothing more than a memory.

Steve loved it. He loved even more that Danny never complained about it, just made a grumbling noise afterward as he tried to smooth it all back into place.

Tonight, though, he might not even be awake enough to notice. Documentaries weren't really Danny's thing, even the good ones, but he would ask questions sometimes in order to inspire explanation or commentary from Steve. He hadn't said anything in awhile, though, and Steve was pretty sure Danny had fallen asleep at some point.

Eventually, though, Danny squeezed his leg. "So," he said after a moment. "I have a little bit of a problem."

Steve smiled a little. They'd faced any number of life-or-death situations, but that was Danny's "my mother's talking about Christmas sweaters again" voice. "What is it?"

Danny didn't say anything for a moment, his hand rubbing in small, slow circles. "I'm kind of trying to think of something romantic to do for the love of my life," he said finally. "I've heard you're supposed to ask your best friend for advice about that sort of thing. Since you're both, you're kind of stuck."

Steve rubbed his cheek against Danny's hair. "I'll love whatever you want to do," he murmured.

Danny, being Danny, poked him in the leg for that. "Romance is not about what _I_ want, it's about what _you_ want. You deserve to be romanced properly, and if anyone else tries to do it I'll have to kill them. We’ve both laughed at our usual playbook enough to know that’s not going to work, which means you need to give me _ideas_."

Steve went still, hearing the undercurrent of tension in Danny's voice. "You already give me all the romance I need," he said carefully.

Danny straightened, but instead of the annoyance Steve might have expected he looked almost worried. "See, I would find that comforting, except for the fact that pretty much your whole life has gotten you used to surviving on the emotional equivalent of bark and twigs." He squeezed Steve's leg again. "You've upgraded from 'need,' babe."

Steve's chest squeezed tight. He used to argue against the idea that he'd had a deprived childhood, but the truth was that Danny felt that love should be nothing less than ocean-sized. Anything short of that, in his eyes, _was_ deprivation.

Of course, Danny tended to focus a hell of a lot more on _giving_ that love than he did on receiving it. “What should I be doing for you?” Steve asked, suddenly a little worried himself. “I can’t be romancing you as much as I should.”

Danny scowled at him. “Oh, you romance me _plenty_ , Mr. Smooth Dog. Lots of completely corny little things that should _definitely_ not work as well as they do, but when it comes to you I am apparently an utter weakling.” When Steve opened his mouth, Danny pre-empted him with a head shake. “And no, I’m not going to tell you what they are. I’m susceptible enough without conveniently pointing out all your most effective artillery. It’s your turn to talk.”

The problem was, he genuinely had no idea how to answer Danny’s question. He’d made himself stop thinking about things he wanted back when he was a teenager, because he knew he couldn’t have any of them and it hurt too much. It was a habit more than 20 years old, dug deep into his bones, and even though his life had changed a thousand percent he wouldn’t even know how to start thinking about something like that.

Even if he could come up with anything, it wouldn’t be anything higher than a “hey, that might be nice” gesture. All of those things he’d been so careful never to admit to himself he wanted – love, affection, someone who would stick by him no matter what – Danny already poured out on a constant basis. Sure, the delivery might not be the sort of thing that would show up in Grace’s romance movies, but that didn’t make the sentiment any less real or reliable as bedrock. Danny Williams’ love was a constant in an unstable universe, and it filled the empty spaces inside Steve like water.

Steve let out a breath. “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said finally, covering Danny’s hand with his. “I’m serious, Danny. I’m _so_ happy.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be getting _more_.” Danny hesitated, looking conflicted. “Rachel always used to say I was bad at the extras,” he admitted, voice quieter than it had been. “I could do all the day-to-day stuff, but I didn’t know how to make her feel ‘special.’” He looked down at their hands, shifting his so they were holding onto each other. He laced his fingers through Steve’s. “I can’t screw up with you. I just….” Whatever else he’d been about to say trailed off, and after a moment of silence he swallowed. “More importantly, you shouldn’t get stuck doing without that just because you ended up with me. You’ve spent your whole life with the people you love not giving you enough, and the last thing I want is to be one more person on that list.”

Steve held himself very still. Most of the time, anger just wasn’t a thing he did. He was fully capable of a steely determination that had been known to knock entire buildings out of its way, but the fury that Danny always found such a comfort usually wasn’t even on the list of options for Steve. For him, survival and anger had never been compatible.

But if Rachel Edwards had been standing in front of him in that moment, there was a very, very good chance that Steve would have punched her directly in the face. It baffled him still that anyone could have someone like Danny and then throw him away, but it was the fact that she’d clearly left such deep scars in her wake that really made Steve see red.

Anger, however, wasn’t what was needed right now. “You want to know what you need to do to make me feel special?” he asked softly, tipping Danny’s face up so their eyes met again. “Cuddle on the couch with me and watch documentaries I know you don’t have the slightest bit of interest in.”

There was a moment of confusion on Danny’s face as he processed that was something he _already_ did, then he frowned a little. “I don’t actually watch the documentaries,” he admitted finally. “I watch your face as you watch them. When nothing’s at risk of blowing up, your ‘nerd eager for knowledge’ face is surprisingly adorable.”

Steve’s throat closed up at the words. How in the _hell_ had Rachel managed to convince him that he didn’t know how to make someone he loved feel special? “Then how about letting me be the only person allowed to touch your hair, and you only grumbling a little no matter how badly I mess it up?”

The confusion was back, this time with a touch of surprise, and Steve wondered if Danny had even processed how rare a concession that was. Seeing the expression that thought put on _Steve’s_ face, Danny made an exasperated noise. “You’re touching me. I don’t think I’m actually physically capable of disapproving of that, no matter how much disaster you bring on my poor, innocent hair.” He smoothed his free hand back over it, temporarily taming it into something vaguely resembling order. “Don’t do it at work, though. I feel like it would be bad to start giving Kono ideas.”

Steve couldn’t stop himself from smiling a little. “I won’t.” Danny’s hair was _his_ , damn it. “You really _didn’t_ realize how unusual it is that I’m the only person you don’t get mad at, did you?”

He looked vaguely embarrassed for a second. “Grace has messed with it before,” he muttered, as if that wouldn’t be enough to make Steve even _more_ emotional. Grace had _all_ the passkeys to Danny’s heart, and for Danny to put Steve in the same category even for something this small was a gift so big Steve didn’t have the words for it.

He had other words, though. “If those aren’t enough for you, what about loving me so much that you do everything in your power to make up for years of sadness that happened before I even met you?” he asked, voice thick and eyes stinging with everything he was feeling. “Or about the fact that it _genuinely_ upsets you that you can’t go back in time and beat up everyone who ever hurt me? Or the way you try to take care of me in ways I never even let myself imagine someone might want to take care of me? I’d say that would make me feel pretty damn special.”

Now Danny was the one who looked emotional. “You deserve all of that and more,” he murmured, voice rough. His heart was in his eyes, all the love he always poured out on Steve shining bright enough to blind the sun.

“And I get it,” Steve breathed, leaning forward to close even the small amount of distance between them. “Just because Rachel wasn’t smart enough to see how good your moves are doesn’t mean you don’t have them.”

Steve let himself fall into the kiss as easy as breathing, Danny’s touch an ocean he was always happy to drown in. They shifted to get a better grip on each other, letting go only to grab on tighter, mouths and bodies fitting together like they’d been meant for it. He couldn’t remember ever being this _hungry_ for someone, a constant low burn that could flame into an inferno the moment he gave it an opportunity.

Steve slid his hands underneath the edge of Danny’s t-shirt, seeking bare skin. “You know, I’ve heard couch sex is pretty romantic,” he murmured against his mouth.

Danny made an exasperated noise even as he pushed Steve away just long enough to strip his t-shirt over his head. Steve, never one to waste an opportunity, did the same with his own. “You’re so lucky I’m an utter weakling when it comes to you,” Danny murmured, leaning in again.

Steve grinned as he pulled him closer. “Believe me, I know it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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